An elderly woman has been found dead in her home by rescue crews drafted in to move hundreds from areas wrecked by floods in north Wales.

The discovery was made at a flooded property in St Asaph, where around 500 homes have been affected.

Emergency services have been working since the early hours after the river Elwy burst its banks.

Ruthin has also been hit and parts of Rhuddlan are being evacuated amid fears the river Clwyd may burst its banks.

Image caption
A landslip closed the A548 between Llanrwst and Llangernyw in Conwy county

Officers said the death of the woman - discovered during house-to-house check calls by rescuers - was not thought to be suspicious and an investigation is under way.

In some area of St Asaph, a tiny city with a population of 3,400, water levels reached up to seven feet.

Mother-of-two Helen Ross, 37, who works at a local school in St Asaph, described how in her particular case water levels reached more than a foot above her floorboards, wrecking her living and dining rooms and kitchen.

"I have lived here nine years and I never seen the river cause flooding like this," she said.

"My husband phoned me at 7am to say parts of the city were being evacuated. I looked out of the window and there was water over the road and then, within an hour, it was in the house."

Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Chester - isolated properties and extensive areas of agricultural land

Source: Environment Agency

Properties in Llanfair Talhaiarn, Llansannan and Eglwys Bach have also been flooded while Abergele and Llangernyw are also threatened.

Forecasters say the rain is expected to subside with the weather turning colder over the next few days, but there is still a risk of water flowing down from higher ground.

Meanwhile, several major and minor roads across the area are closed and people are advised to drive only if their journey is essential.

As well as the main areas where properties have been flooded, routes affected include the A4086 Pen-y-Pass, Llanberis; A5 Corwen, and A548 Llanrwst to Abergele as well the A525 at Bangor on Dee, near Wrexham, and the A544 in Llansannan, Conwy.

The slip road on the A55 at St Asaph is closed westbound.

Other roads are passable with care and motorists are asked to heed warnings. Details are available via the Traffic Wales website.

Train services are suspended between Holyhead and Bangor due to flooded tracks at Gaerwen on Anglesey.

No trains will run either between Llanrwst and Blaenau Ffestiniog until further notice.

A North Wales Police spokesperson said: "Police will also be providing extra patrols in areas where people are unable to return to their homes and are urging anyone concerned for vulnerable family or friends, who live in affected areas and who they haven't been able to contact to ring 101."